Search Results (134)

Bottled drinking water is widely consumed in Saudi Arabia; however, the chemical composition of these products and the accuracy of the information presented on their labels remain insufficiently characterized. This study evaluated the composition of 41 still bottled waters purchased from major supermarkets in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with emphasis on fluoride, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, hardness, and pH, and examined their potential contributions to dietary mineral intake and caries-preventive fluoride exposure. Products were categorized according to label descriptions, and elemental analyses were performed using a fluoride ion-selective electrode for fluoride and ICP-MS for calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. The pH was measured using a calibrated multiparameter analyzer, and hardness was calculated from calcium and magnesium concentrations. Mineral and purified waters accounted for 75.6% of the sampled products. Fluoride concentrations were generally modest (mean 0.76 ppm; median 0.74 ppm), indicating that the potential contribution of bottled water to caries prevention may vary substantially by brand, and only one product would provide the adult adequate intake for fluoride at a hypothetical intake of 2 L/day. Mean concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium were 15.10, 7.19, 12.08, and 3.55 mg/L, respectively, indicating limited nutritional significance for most products. Most waters were soft to moderately hard, and pH values were close to neutral. Agreement between label declarations and measured values was inconsistent for fluoride, calcium, and pH. These findings show that bottled waters sold in Riyadh differ considerably in composition and that product labels do not always provide a reliable estimate of fluoride content, mineral content, or pH. From a water quality and public health perspective, bottled water can contribute to daily intake of selected constituents, but in most cases, this contribution is modest and highly brand dependent. Full article

This study investigates consumer knowledge, perceptions, and purchasing behaviors regarding products with geographical indications and certifications in the Campania region. Traditional Agri-Food Product (PAT) is the regional label used in Italy to identify traditional products whose distribution is so limited that they do not qualify for PDO or PGI designation. In this view, this research examines the diffusion of such products, their economic and sustainability attributes, and alignment with modern objectives, including environmental impact reduction, rural development, and the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023–2027. Using a structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 706 respondents, the study combines descriptive statistics and econometric analysis, trying to identify key factors influencing Willingness to Pay (WTP) for certified products and knowledge of certifications. Findings reveal that education, knowledge of certifications, and lifestyle factors positively affect WTP, highlighting opportunities for targeted marketing and awareness campaigns, also emphasizing critical issues in view of new trade scenarios (e.g., Mercosur agreement) and climate change. Full article

Brazil possesses globally competitive offshore wind resources; however, financial viability is constrained by high capital expenditure (CAPEX) and industry risk. This study evaluates the investment feasibility of a 1 GW offshore wind project in northeast Brazil using a discounted cash flow (DCF) model. For the key parameter of CAPEX, a Baseline Case was established, assuming a 1.53% commodity price escalation from 2021 until the Financial Investment Decision (FID) date of 2027, and was sensitivity tested against an Optimistic Case, assuming 0% cost escalation and a Stress Case based on twice the commodity price escalation of 3.06% up to 2027. Each CAPEX Case was evaluated against 12 financing scenarios involving varying levels of public support through a blend of concessional debt and grants. Financial performance was measured using net present value (NPV) and Equity Internal Rate of Return (EIRR). Results indicate that project financial viability is achieved under the Baseline Case only with levels of grant funding and concessional debt that exceed realistic thresholds, unless PPA tariffs are raised by about 50% relative to current market benchmarks. The Optimistic Case is viable at current tariffs under more realistic financing structures but represents an unattainable degree of capital cost containment. The Stress Case is not viable at all without a doubling of current PPA tariffs. Sensitivity analysis further demonstrates that even the most promising financial scenarios are vulnerable to any shortening of the 20-year PPA contracting period, leading to greater merchant risk exposure. The paper concludes that catalysing Brazil’s nascent offshore wind market will therefore call for a combination of policy measures that: permit (and recoup) a transitional premium over current PPA prices; adopt structural measures to reduce associated CAPEX through local supply chain development; combine public and private sources of capital to soften financial terms; and incorporate price risk mitigation measures. Full article

Digital maturity models are widely used to support transformation; however, many remain organization-level, lack transparency, and are only weakly linked to implementation prioritization. These limitations are especially consequential in purchasing, where maturity may vary substantially across activities and sub-processes. This study develops a process-level digital maturity assessment-and-roadmapping (DEMA) artifact for purchasing. Within the broader DEMA architecture, this study develops and evaluates only the Smart Business Processes component, while retaining Digital Strategy and Infrastructure as a contextual architectural layer. Drawing on design science research and maturity model development guidance, DEMA was developed through literature synthesis, iterative expert involvement over approximately 18 months, and structured refinement conducted in approximately 20 sessions. The artifact was refined through three anonymized pilot applications in electronics manufacturing SMEs and then demonstrated through a focal case application in an electronics SME that used an ERP system but lacked a purchasing-specific digital transformation roadmap. Evaluation was utility-oriented rather than psychometric, focusing on whether the artifact could (i) generate differentiated capability profiles across purchasing subprocesses, (ii) improve item clarity, stage interpretation, and scoring logic through pilot-based refinement, and (iii) translate assessment results into feasible targets, priorities, and sequenced roadmap actions under facilitated conditions. To provide bounded but direct validation evidence, the study also included a lightweight two-rater consistency and interpretability check on a representative subset of 24 items, together with a structured diagnosis-to-roadmap traceability review of six representative items. The results showed moderate exact agreement, perfect adjacent agreement, positive weighted inter-rater agreement for ordinal ratings, and favorable interpretability scores. Together, these findings provide bounded empirical support for the artifact’s practical consistency and usability within the study’s development-oriented scope. Unlike reflective survey scales, the DEMA is evaluated here as a staged, prescriptive maturity grid. Accordingly, the methodological emphasis is on interpretability, traceability, and assessment-to-action usefulness in facilitated use rather than psychometric scale validation. The DEMA integrates a fully disclosed 70-item staged instrument with explicit scoring, dual-target setting, dependency-aware prioritization, and a structured implementation methodology. In the focal case, the artifact revealed uneven maturity profiles across capabilities, distinguished between current and target capability states, and supported the prioritization of concrete intervention areas, such as data-entry automation/RPA, digital tool budgeting, remote-access improvement, and analytics-related training. Rather than pursuing psychometric scale validation, this study presents a transparent, implementation-oriented artifact for purchasing and shows how process-level maturity diagnosis can be translated into roadmap development in guided-application settings. Therefore, the contribution is design-oriented and practice-facing rather than a claim of broad theoretical advancement or comparative superiority over existing maturity frameworks. Full article

Background/Objectives: Adopting written nutrition standards for food sold or served by local governments is a strategy for increasing access to healthier options among employees and residents. Methods: We used data from a 2021 national survey of 1982 municipal governments serving populations of 1000 or more. Among municipalities that sell or serve food or beverages, we examined the prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of those with written nutrition standards. Logistic regression models were used to obtain odds ratios and 95% CIs of written nutrition standards by municipality characteristics. Finally, we examined the prevalence including nutrition standards in food purchasing agreements or food service contracts among municipalities that sell or serve food and have written nutrition standards. Results: Among U.S. municipalities in 2021, 32% reported selling and 21% reported serving food or beverages. Among U.S. municipalities that sell or serve food or beverages, the prevalence of municipalities with written nutrition standards was 19%, and of these, 78% reported including their written nutrition standards in city food purchasing agreements or food service contracts. In adjusted analyses, the region (West vs. Midwest adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.9 [95% CI: 1.7, 4.9]) and presence of a food policy council remained significantly associated with having written nutrition standards (aOR: 1.7 [1.1, 2.5]). Conclusions: Although only 1 in 5 municipalities that sell or serve food or beverages have written nutrition standards, of those that do, almost 80% reported including the standards in contracts, highlighting an important implementation lever and a public health opportunity for communities to adopt standards that offer healthy food and beverage options in public spaces. Full article

Accurate assessment of sodium intake and its dietary sources is essential for developing effective sodium reduction strategies. This study estimated total dietary sodium intake (DSI) and source-specific contributions using questionnaire-based methods, validated against urinary sodium excretion (USE). Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 2023 among adults aged 15–59 years in Burkina Faso (N = 749) and Senegal (N = 1340), selected through stratified sampling. USE was estimated from spot urine samples, calibrated using 24 h urine collections in a sub-sample (eUSE). DSI was assessed using three complementary methods: (1) household purchasing/adult male equivalent (AME) for small-commodity foods and discretionary salt, (2) 24 h recall for sodium-rich foods consumed in and outside the home, and (3) a food frequency questionnaire for composite dishes eaten outside the home. Median DSI from dietary methods (2.6 g/day) closely matched estimates from eUSE (2.7 g/day) in Burkina Faso but was overestimated in Senegal (5.4 vs. 3.1 g/day), mainly due to difficulty estimating discretionary salt use in households buying large quantities. The country-specific validation of spot urine showed good agreement with 24 h collections. Combining complementary dietary intake methods offers a feasible approach to estimating total and source-specific sodium intake in settings with frequent small salt purchases. In settings with large salt purchases and salt being used for purposes other than human consumption, the salt purchasing/AME method to quantify the use of discretionary salt at the household level should be replaced by the salt disappearance method. Full article

Integrating third-party Machine Learning (ML) models into industrial Operational Technology (OT) creates a procurement deadlock: operators cannot verify vendor performance claims without sharing representative evaluation data with vendors, while vendors refuse to reveal proprietary model weights before purchase, rendering traditional safeguards such as Non-Disclosure Agreements technically unenforceable. This paper introduces a framework combining Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) with smart contracts to enable trust-minimized, cryptographically verifiable competitive model procurement in Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems (ICPS). Vendors cryptographically prove that their model outperforms a legacy baseline without disclosing proprietary weights, a process we term cryptographic performance attestation, while the on-chain workflow automates escrow, proof verification, and best-vendor selection with arbiter-based dispute resolution. ZKP privacy is scoped to vendor model weights; operator-side evaluation-data confidentiality is managed separately via synthetic, de-identified, or public benchmark data. We analyze three ZKP workflow variations and evaluate them on consumer-grade hardware, achieving proving times of approximately three seconds and sub-dollar on-chain verification costs under Layer-2 fee assumptions for the recommended single-proof variation, while identifying computational trade-offs of recursive proof aggregation. The entire verification phase operates offline with no impact on real-time OT control paths, bridging the IT/OT pre-transaction trust gap while deferring artifact deployment to existing OT tooling. Full article

Local governments increasingly combine power purchase agreements (PPAs) with local retail power producers and suppliers (RPPSs) to pursue decarbonization and regional revitalization. However, there is limited municipal-scale evidence on how contractual design translates into regional multiplier and employment outcomes under structural uncertainty. Using a 38-sector municipal input–output table (2015) for Fukuchiyama City, Kyoto, Japan, we conduct scenario-based simulations to quantify the output and employment multipliers of on-site and off-site solar photovoltaic PPAs. We compare Type I multipliers (household exogenous) and Type II multipliers (household endogenous) across nine scenarios that combine three PPA arrangements—off-site sales to the local RPPS [A], off-site sales to a major utility [B], and on-site self-consumption [C]—with three interregional leakage scenarios (1)–(3). A systematic sensitivity analysis (±10–20% perturbation of structural coefficients) was implemented to provide results as conditional ranges rather than point estimates. Under baseline leakage (3), off-site PPAs sold to the local RPPS [A3] yield the largest short-term total effects (1.24 million USD/year). Crucially, the error bars confirm that the policy ranking of A > B > C remains robustly invariant across all leakage conditions. Endogenizing households increases total effects by approximately 22.9% without changing this ranking, with induced effects concentrated in consumption-related services. In contrast, on-site PPAs [C] yield significantly larger long-term cumulative multipliers through stable expenditure savings from avoided electricity purchases. These results provide a transferable evaluation protocol and identify policy levers—off-taker localization, local supply chain thickening, and localized O&M—that jointly determine whether PPAs deliver broad-based regional economic benefits. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) and computer agents are increasingly shaping daily decision-making and commercial interactions. This study investigates the influence of computer agents’ attributes on negotiation results and proposed a systematic method to evaluate the negotiation outcomes. Specifically, it examines the effects of negotiation timespan (synchronous vs. asynchronous), concession tactics, and issue-search mechanisms on both economic and perceptual results in human-agent negotiation. In an experiment, human buyers negotiated purchase of mobile plan contracts with computer agents programmed with one of three concession tactics (conceding, neutral, or competitive) and one of two issue search mechanisms (breadth-first or depth-first). Negotiations occurred under either synchronous or asynchronous timeframes. The experimental results suggest that on the group (dyad) level, timespan has marginal effects on agreement rate, while tactic has a significant impact. On the individual level, agents’ tactics have significant effects on the objective outcomes, while search mechanisms have a significant influence on the subjective outcomes. Full article

Urban markets are key nodes for the persistence and adaptation of traditional edible plant knowledge, linking rural production with urban consumption. This study was based on monthly market surveys conducted throughout 2025 in an urban market in Baise City, Guangxi, China. A total of 54 edible plant taxa were recorded, including both native and introduced species, with herbaceous plants predominating alongside climbers, trees, and grasses. Ethnobotanical data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 40 local informants (20 men and 20 women, aged 25–65 years) selected using purposive sampling, focusing on individuals actively involved in purchasing and preparing edible plants. High Cultural Food Significance Index (CFSI) values highlighted culturally central taxa, including Allium ascalonicum L., × Brassarda juncea (L.) Su Liu & Z.H. Feng, and Houttuynia cordata Thunb., reflecting frequent use and culinary–medicinal integration. Fidelity Level (FL) analyses identified species with strong consensus for specific therapeutic applications, such as × B. juncea, Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd., and Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn., while Informant Consensus Factor (FIC) values indicated moderate to high agreement across gastrointestinal, respiratory, inflammatory, and other health categories. These results underscore the persistence of the “food as medicine” concept, showing that edible plants function simultaneously as nutritional and preventive healthcare resources. The overlap of culinary and medicinal roles demonstrates dynamic food–medicine integration, with urban markets acting as cultural hubs that maintain dietary diversity, household food security, and ethnobotanical knowledge. Future studies should incorporate ethnozoological resources and longitudinal monitoring to capture the full scope of urban food–medicine systems. Full article

This article examines the growing relevance of photovoltaic (PV) energy amid rising electricity demand, sustainability goals, and the need for flexible energy management in households and enterprises. It analyzes six PV business models, ownership, leasing, Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), energy communities/peer-to-peer (P2P), crowdfunding, and subscription-based Solar-as-a-Service, using the Business Model Canvas (BMC) framework. A systematic literature review was combined with a unified BMC for each model, enabling structured comparison of value propositions, customer segments, cost structures, revenue streams, and risk allocation. The results show that no single universal model exists; each addresses different financial capacities, risk preferences, and strategic needs of households, SMEs, large enterprises, and energy communities. Significant differences were found in investment requirements, operational involvement, scalability, and potential for energy independence. The study’s novelty lies in providing a coherent, cross-model comparison using a standardized BMC approach, offering insights not systematically explored in previous research. These findings support informed decision-making for organizations considering PV adoption and provide a basis for further research on innovative energy management strategies. The topic is highly relevant in the context of the accelerating global energy transition, technological advances, regulatory changes, and increasingly diverse customer profiles, highlighting the need for comprehensive comparative analyses to guide flexible photovoltaic deployment. Full article

The recent updates to the Single Day-Ahead Coupling (SDAC) framework in the European energy market, along with new rules for providing manual frequency restoration reserve (mFRR) products in the Nordic Energy Activation Market (EAM), have introduced a finer Market Time Unit (MTU) resolution. These developments underscore the growing importance of flexible assets, such as power-to-hydrogen (PtH) facilities, in delivering system flexibility. However, to successfully participate in such markets, well-designed and accurate bidding strategies are essential. To fulfill this aim, this paper proposes a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model to determine the optimal bidding strategies for a typical PtH facility, accounting for both the technical characteristics of the involved technologies and the specific participation requirements of the mFRR EAM. The study also explores the economic viability of sourcing electricity from nearby wind turbines (WTs) under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The simulation is conducted using a case study of a planned PtH facility at the Port of Hirtshals, Denmark. Results demonstrate that participation in the mFRR EAM, particularly through the provision of downward regulation, can yield significant economic benefits. Moreover, involvement in the mFRR market reduces power intake from the nearby WTs, as capacity must be reserved for downward services. Finally, the findings highlight the necessity of clearly defined business models for such facilities, considering both technical and economic aspects. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated both the transformative capacity of vaccine innovation and the persistent inequities that accompany emergency access, underscoring the critical need for stronger collaboration between global health governance and the vaccine industry. Influenza pandemics remain inevitable threats. The continued emergence of avian influenza strains such as H5N1 reinforces the necessity of robust preparedness. This perspective examines the underutilization of private sector vaccine manufacturers in current pandemic influenza frameworks and identifies three central areas where industry participation is indispensable: predictable vaccine demand through robust seasonal influenza programs, economic incentives that de-risk investments in research and development, and diversification of vaccine platforms to expand response capacity. In addition, regionalizing manufacturing, advancing collaborative regulatory models, and negotiating export waivers are presented as potential mechanisms to strengthen equity and supply security. The review highlights demand-based tiered pricing and Advance Purchase Agreements as practical tools to align commercial incentives with public health priorities. Furthermore, it makes the case for embedding private sector representation and knowledge into top-level decision-making and preparedness planning, ensuring investment in innovation is aligned with global health objectives. Ultimately, true pandemic influenza readiness depends on building a sustained seasonal influenza market, embedding private sector engagement into governance structures, and fostering mutual trust to ensure timely access and equitable protection for populations worldwide. Full article

Per the United Nations, enhancing climate literacy can play an essential role in advancing climate mitigation, adaptation, and promoting sustainable human behaviors. Yet, there is a lack of empirical research explicitly studying the effects of climate solutions focused education. Here, we studied the effects of a climate solutions focused course—the University of California Bending the Curve (BtC) course on: (1) climate change beliefs, (2) personal pro-environmental actions, and (3) psychological health, using baseline and post-course surveys. A total of 374 youth (median age 21 ± 1.7 years, 63% female) participated in the study, and data analysis focused on statistically comparing pre- versus post-course survey-based data. We observed that the BtC course enhanced climate change beliefs. Specifically, at post-relative to pre-course, we observed significantly increased belief that global warming will impact individuals personally as well as impact our future generations; it tripled the number of students who believe that humans can and will act to reduce global warming; it significantly increased the number of individuals who believe in a scientific basis for climate change. Notably, climate solutions education also enhanced belief in the efficacy of personal climate action and increased agreement amongst youth that many of their friends also share the same views on global warming. With regard to personal pro-environmental actions, the course significantly improved self-reported actions, including waste reduction, making food choices with reduced emissions, and purchase of carbon offsets. These actions reduced the carbon footprint per student at post- vs. pre-course by a significant 0.3 ± 0.1 CO₂ tons/year, which is equivalent to the CO₂ absorbed by about 15 trees per year. While psychological health outcomes did not show any significant post- vs. pre-course change, we found that enhanced personal pro-environmental actions as well as enhanced psychological health were predicted by course-related strengthening of climate change beliefs. Overall, our findings provide evidence that solutions-based climate education can be an important strategy to enhance individual climate change awareness as well as personal pro-environmental actions that lead to significant individual carbon footprint reduction, with potential for widespread scale-up. Full article

This study investigates strategies for urban-scale renewable energy integration through a photovoltaic-centric approach, with a case study of a district in Barcelona. The methodology integrates spatial and morphological data using a geographic information system (GIS)-based and clustering framework to address challenges of CO₂ emissions, air pollution, and energy inefficiency. Rooftop availability and photovoltaic (PV) design constraints are analysed under current urban regulations. The spatial analysis incorporates building geometry and solar exposure, while an evolutionary optimisation algorithm in Grasshopper refines shading analysis, energy yield, and financial performance. Clustering methods (K-means and 3D proximity) group PV panels by solar irradiance uniformity and spatial coherence to enhance system efficiency. Eight PV deployment scenarios are evaluated, incorporating submodule integrated converter technology under a solar power purchase agreement model. Results show distinct trade-offs among PV scenarios. The standard fixed tilted (31.5° tilt, south-facing) scenario offers a top environmental and performance ratio (PR) = 66.81% but limited financial returns. In contrast, large- and huge-sized modules offer peak financial returns, aligning with private-sector priorities but with moderate energy efficiency. Medium- and large-size scenarios provide balanced outcomes, while a small module and its optimised rotated version scenarios maximise energy output yet suffer from high capital costs. A hybrid strategy combining standard fixed tilted with medium and large modules balances environmental and economic goals. The district’s morphology supports “solar neighbourhoods” and demonstrates how multi-scenario evaluation can guide resilient PV planning in Mediterranean cities. Full article